It was a blessing that Pulstar had slowdown. That game is WICKED hard! Looks great and feels good, too. I wish Takara had translated it for.... no, scratch that. Can you imagine the slowdown beating Pulstar would receive on the SNES? :yikes:

That would have rocked if they made sure every single graphic was there (which technically the SNES could do... just slowly) in full color so there could be no differences noted between still pics of the two versions. I would probably give a game an extra point if the developer made a crazy game and just didn't care about how much the CPU would slow down, especially if it came to a complete stop for a few seconds.

Sorry if it seems like I'm trolling now but I just have to make one extra comment. In your review for Axelay, you said that the song for Stage 2 wasn't originally from the game, if I understand correctly. Where'd you hear about this? This is the first time I've ever heard such a thing.

EDIT ~ I'll try and look into that for you. If I find anything, I'll let you know. Thanks again.

I am guessing, but I think it is an educated guess, being that I have a PHD in game music. The first clue is that was the only song not done by Souji Taro. The second clue comes in the game's credits. "Colony Remix by M.C Ada". Remix? Remixed from what? Hmmmm.... Obviously they used the same sound library for the tune that was used in the rest of the game, so it doesn't sound out of place. I'd like to hear the original and more importantly know where it is from.

Capcom always prided themselves in hiring
artists who suck. It looks like Mega Man could
use some marksmanship lessons as well.

Remember back when games were easy and we weren't plagued by millions of mediocre Mega Man games? I sure do. Back in the 80's Mega Man got a sequel. It was easy, it was fun, and it was only the second Mega Man game so we weren't sick of the character like everyone is now. In Japan the game is called "Rockman" for some bizarre reason. I approve of the name change to Mega Man.

This stage smells worse than a
warehouse full of horny lesbians.

Graphics: 9/10
For the NES these graphics really do shine. They really took advantage of the 2 megabit size with great boss designs and some very large enemies throughout the stages. The giant fish in Bubbleman's world and the big blue doggy in Woodman's place are just two that really stand out with their Disney-esque artwork. All 52 of the NES colors are used and up to 16 are on the screen at any one time if you can believe that. Freakin' amazing, I tell you! Everything is animated and brought to life by the designers, and the bosses all have their own unique flair. Mega Man himself looks a bit plain, but I don't think it's worth complaining about. There is quite a bit of flicker and some occasional slowdown here, but you'll keep playing anyway without a care.

Mega Man tries to make a fashion statement
with his new green Underroo's.

Sound: 10/10
Journey with me back in time when game music wasn't trying to be incredibly foreboding or scary. Back in a time when the music was just trying to be... good! The musical soundtrack to this game is unparalleled by just about any other NES game. It is extremely unique and amazingly catchy. I never get tired of listening to this game... never. Heatman and Quickman's music isn't the best, but maybe it only sounds mediocre because it is placed up against every other tune that is in the game. But those two tunes won't have you plugging your ears. The complexity of the soundtrack is phenomenal for an 8-bit game, and of course the composition is simply superb. I don't think I can really say enough about the music here. My favorite tracks in no particular order are Bubbleman, Flashman, Woodman and Air Man. The sound effects are typical NES. Yes, when there is a sound effect, part of the music is cut off because the NES can only make 5 sounds at the same time, but oh well. All 8-bit games and even many 16-bit games are like that. Still a great sounding game.

MetalMan was manufactured by Ford
so he is quite easy to defeat.

Gameplay: 8/10
As good as the original Mega Man was, this one is much better. The bosses are cooler and the stages themselves are way more fun. As always, once you defeat a boss you get his weapon and maybe even a special item created by Dr. Light (PhD). Whatever you do, don't try to get through Quickman's stage before defeating Flashman! It can actually be done, but it is MUCH harder without the ability to stop time and subsequently the instant-death rays. You can also get other items which help you break through certain barriers or reach high ledges. Lots of strategy can be involved if you want to get every item in a stage. It's definitely one of the finest NES games ever. So why only an 8? Well, mainly it's because of the way you must switch between weapons and items. You must pause the game, go into a menu screen, select your item, and then unpause. When you are finished, you must repeat the process to get back to your normal weapon. You can refill your life with energy tanks that you find, but you must use them via the menu instead of them automatically refilling when your life runs out. Each weapon uses power independently, so if you come across a weapon power-up, you must switch to the weapon you want to replenish, collect the item, and then switch back. And this all can really become a pain in the ass to keep switching back and forth all of the time, especially when trying to get through Dr. Wiley's (also a PhD) stages. It's almost as if you spend more time switching in the menu than you do jumping around! It does distract from the otherwise brisk pace of the game. It is enough for me to detract points from the gameplay and overall score. Like I said earlier, the game is fairly easy. If you've never played before, it might take you a few hours to figure out the best path, but otherwise you can get through this game in about an hour or so. Still, I absolutely love it, as it is insane amounts of fun!

Check out the big red dude. He has
clouds for hair! How cool is that?

Wrap up:
One of the best NES games there is. Even if there wasn't any gameplay at all, it'd be worth it for the music alone.

Wow. So you love Mega Man 2's music so much that you gave it a perfect 10 for sound? I agree that the music is memorable and good to listen to but I would've given it an 8 or a 9 for sound. Admittedly, the music is what sets this action game apart from others.

:cool guy: nice review on gunvalkyrie. I do agree with you though, the game require a lot of practice to get good at. I think that is why people were not drawn to it because of the high learning curve. I personally found it rewarding when I eventually mastered it because it was cool to finally be able to stay afloat in air and unload your special of a group of enemies. Ahhh priceless :bigsmile:

__________________ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.-Ephesians 2:8-9

For the NES, there isn't much if anything that sounds better than Mega Man 2.

Probably not but there were a few others that I always liked too. Most notibly the Castlevania's and 1st Zelda had phat music. Zelda, if you played it to long in one sitting, the music would start to slighty annoy me but that damn music would stick in my head all the time when I wasn't playing such as in school, etc.

I agree, there are many many NES games with great tunes. Blaster Master, Castlevania 1, (even2), and 3, Life Force, Mega Man 1, and even some more have music that I would rate as 9's and possibly even 10's. It's just that Mega Man 2 is consistantly great and varied.

First of all, this is NOT a kiddie game! Secondly, this is a hard game to review, and I'm really not sure why. As I type this sentence, I have not yet decided on a final score for the game. Though if you look you'll obviously see a score (hint: I decided the score after I typed this sentence). Why is this game so hard for me to review? I already told you that I'm not sure why, so quit asking, dammit! Maybe it's because there are a lot of conflicting issues with the game, both good and bad. Let's take a deeper look:

The 3rd boss is pure evil and not easy!
Here Sei tries to aim for his tender area.

Graphics: 6/10
The graphics are alright. To me it kind of looks like Kingdom Hearts meets Virtua Fighter Kids or something. There are certainly no extreme details here that will blow you away, that's for sure, but the game looks fairly crisp. The game supports 480p but no widescreen. Colors are decent, frame rate is usually at 60fps but slows down to 30fps for some boss fights (notably level 3's boss) for some reason which I can't understand. There are plenty of glowing effects as well as transparencies that do add to the visual flair, and the enemy design is OK. The Virtua Fighters are all in here... each and every one of them, though you can't play as them. They look kind of simplistic compared to how they look in, say, Virtua Fighter 4. The animation of all your moves is well done and there is a lot of flash when you use the moves you learn from the real Virtua Fighters. The PS2 version will be released at the same time as this Gamecube version, and I have heard that it lacks some of the finer textures of the GC version. Personally I haven't seen anything that the PS2 couldn't handle here, so I don't know if that is true or not.

Jumping is not permitted in the Virtua Lobby.
Neither is masturbating (Sei tried).

Sound: 8/10
I really want to give the sound a higher rating simply because of the music alone. It's fantastic, and I don't think I've heard a track that was even mediocre much less actually bad. The sound effects are fine and get the job done nicely, and everything is presented in Dolby Pro-Logic II for your enjoyment. But I have to knock off a point for the voice. It should be noted that I played through the Japanese version of the game, so this may change or it may even get worse when it is released in the US. When Sei (the main character of the game) gets hit and knocked down, he lets out an EXTREMELY ANNOYING bratty little scream that makes you want to pound his face in for sounding like such a dweeb. Then there is also the great possibility that the US version will have horrible voice acting for the ten billion cut scenes that are in the game. In fact you can almost count on it. I hope they turn out OK.

Akira takes an ass-whoppin' from a little 14-year old!

Gameplay: 7/10
I've finally decided on a rating for the gameplay and the game! Yay! Basically the game is about Sei who jacks into a Matrix-like VR world and encounters lots of troubles and of course must save it all by his lonesome. This game almost qualifies as an action-RPG of sorts, but not quite. I suppose it falls into the "adventure" category if you will. You can buy upgrades and "level up" in a roundabout way. Along your journey in the futuristic VR world known as the "Nexus", you will encounter all of the original Virtua Fighters. These are known as "Virtual Souls". I guess they are recordings or digital versions of the original Virtua Fighters, as the real fighters are all long dead, have rotted and been devoured by maggots when this game takes place (hint: it takes place in the future!). Unfortunately the Virtua Souls are represented as they were in their prime, and not maggot-ridden like they should be. Everyone loves maggots and they enhance any game, just like cuss words. If you beat these incredibly easy adversaries, they will teach you a special move which you can assign to the X button. One huge complaint I have is that in this game Jacky sounds like a man. In Virtua Fighter (especially part 1) he sounds like a teeny little boy. When was he allowed to grow up? I think I may sue Sega over this.

You have a special SP gauge that depletes when you use these special moves, but it goes back up on its own and even faster when you beat up enemies as a reward for violence. You can also press the hollow R trigger and engage a "Synapse Break" which will make you invincible and reduce the speed of your enemies while you pound them. This eats up SP very fast so be careful! Your other controls include jump, attack (regular), and the use of your electric whip which can propel you to new heights or even be used when fighting enemies if you do it right. When the action gets fast, it does seem like the control is a bit slow at times. Also, the camera in this game is just as bad if not worse than the Xbox's Ninja Gaiden. You can press the hollow L trigger at any time and the camera will re-center, but it's just not the same as a well programmed camera. In tight spaces if the camera is off and you press L, it re-centers, but when you let go of the trigger it snaps back to where it was because the game thinks of the camera as a solid object, not allowing it to stay in corners, etc. It is REALLY annoying!

Besides that, the game is pretty damned fun. In fact, it can be downright addictive. It is mega-fun exploring each level thoroughly, and I always wanted to make sure I smashed open each item that can be smashed just to make sure I have everything possible. The exploration is, by far, the greatest aspect of the game and it pulls it off brilliantly. The fighting can be pretty fun as well. Like I mentioned before, the controls can seem less than responsive at times, especially when the camera is fighting you. The game is easy for the most part. Then suddenly, right when you're not expecting it BAM!!! The game gets amazingly hard, and this is only the level 3 boss! It does not have a smooth increase in difficulty, but rather a solid rock wall. It then gets a bit easier again, then harder, then easier.... geez! It is EXTREMELY annoying in this respect, and it loses points because of this.

One thing that is interesting is the way you use items bought at the shop in the Virtua Lobby. You can buy anything you can afford, of course, but the items (such as increased life, SP, etc) don't work just because you have them. Instead you have an item cube, and you must put the item in the cube and activate it. If the item doesn't fit within the cube, you must remove something else in order to use it. Each item is represented by a 3D Tetris shape. You can rotate it or rearrange it in any way possible to try to get everything to fit, but you have to have some pretty phiggidy 3D Tetris skillz if you have a lot of items. It is quite unique, I'll give it that. Now I'd like to talk about the cut-scenes. There are trillions of them and many of them last 3 years or longer... and they are UNSKIPPABLE! Those Japanese sure love listening to themselves babble. There are even cut-scenes that show you enter a door, and that's it. Is that really necessary? The game clock only counts actual gameplay time. By the time you are finished with the game (around 8-12 hours or so), add at least 2 or 3 more hours to the total time just for the cut-scenes that you watched. The only time when you can skip a cut-scene is when you die, say, fighting a boss and then you continue. You can skip the cut-scenes that you have already seen on your way from the save point to the boss... but they still try to play. Another thing that strikes me as odd, especially for a Gamecube game, is the slow and CONSTANT loading. Add at least an hour an a half to your total time at the end of the game just for the loading screens you endured. This game will also be available for the PlayStation 2 on January 11th, but no word if it has more loading or slower loading. It's worth it, I say... just be patient!

You will see this A LOT!

Wrap up:
Whew! I made it through the review! This game is worth the $39 it will cost, but it wouldn't be worth it if they charged the normal $49. Pick it up for your Gamecube or PS2.

I think GI gave this game something like a 3/10. They really seem to come down hard on anything thats not GTA, Halo, or one of Itagaki's games. Then agian, I guess they have said they rate games based on "what they think people's reaction to them will be".